POLL: How old were you when you built your first car

With help, I built my first circle burner...a '53 Ford Vic when I was 17. We chopped the top off, bubble gum welded in a roll cage from another car, built up the springs, made shock mounts, chicken bars and all of that good stuff. The only thing that I didn't build or have a hand in other than tuning was the motor....a Merc Flattie that came from the car we cut the cage out of. So I expect this counts.....

Jan

 

I got my 31 Pickup as a basket case when I was 13 in 1975. My Dad and I started on it, then it sat. I fooled around with several other cars (which provided a good learning curve), then got serious with the 31 when I was around 21 and had it on the road at by the time I was 24 doing all of the work on it myself. I've made some changes on it, since as in the early days cash was in short supply. Still driving it, the most dependable vehicle I've ever owned!

 

15 and the Old man would just come out to the driveway and bust my balls. A year later he decided to help... bastard

 

Bought my '29 coupe when I was 14. Worked on it for about a year before i took it to Pennsylvania and spent the summer helping on my grandfathers farm at which time I took the flathead out of his retired '47 school bus and transplanted it in the A just in time to get my license.


Frank

 

Bought a '34 Plymouth coupe when I was 15. Put a buick motor and LaSalle transmission in it, and had it running by 17. I guess that since I didn't do floors or a body off it doesn't count, but the body didn't need it. It was only 25 years old. Even the paint and mohair was good.



Mutt

 

I’ve been playing with cars since I was 15. I was 25 when I rebuilt my first car from top to bottom, including paint. 12 point cage mini-tubbed, and a fair amount of fabrication. It was my first car and after 3 years of abuse sat for 7 years until I was comfortable with the type of work I wanted to do to it.

There were two more cars after that that I’ve had every nut and bolt out of, but same thing, remove, repair or replace. I really don’t consider that a build because your taking parts off and either replacing them or rebuilding them and putting them back on. A bolt on brake kit don’t make you a builder.

I was 32 when I built my roadster, and it’s the first car I built from the ground up that wasn’t something you could take apart and put back together again, because there was nothing to start with. It had the most fabrication, and I still don’t feel like I know what I’m doing, but every build gets better.

Gus

 

I was 7 when my dad gave me a 200 dollor 32 roadster body,I started building the car when I was 19,and finished it when I was 24,I'm 25 now.

 

I started working on cars when I was 14 . when I was 16 I was doing minor customizing and some pinstriping. My first big project was in 1959, I was 17, I channeled my hopped up 40 ford 2 door sedan. The fenders were left at stock height and the body was channeled the width of the frame. Looking back it probably was not that safe , I remember using coat hangers as welding rod.

 

I was 13 when I bought my Anglia. It was all original and the first thing me and my dad did was chop it. Built a 2x3 chassis, 351 Ford, and narrowed 9in. A '40 Ford dash fit perfect. We also extended the hood, frenched the headlights. made custom taillights, and extended the wheelwells. The front wheels are old Mickey Thompson 5 spokes my dad bought new in '66 to put on his new Mustang. I drove the car in primer for years before it got wrecked. Once we fixed the body my dad painted it a color he made called "statutory grape". I still have the car and drive it once in a while.

 

I was 17 when I got the car, turned 18 shortly thereafter and now and I'm picking up tempo, hopefully I'll kick some ass this winter to get the Buick ready for the summer season. I have alot of help.

 

I bought my 55, in 1977 when I was 14. I installed a 283 and a Muncie 4 speed, with help from one of my older brothers, the same year. Drove it all through high school, and then parked it for about 15 years. Finally rebuilt the whole car, finishing it in 1998. Still has the same engine, (now bored to 301), trans, etc in it today. Best time at the strip,...9:20 ........in the 1/8 mile.

 

during the year from when i turned 12 to when i turned 13 my father and i built a 32 ford four door sedan street rod for a family friend. we got the car in original shape still running and driving but being the young lad i was didnt realize how rare this was. spent a whole month by myself paint striping off the original black laquer that was still mint. once again i was 12 and didnt think the way i do today. well, the guy we were building it for had a custom frame made, z ed in the rear and zed in the front also. we got the body on the frame put in a very built 350 and were getting ready to paint it cadillac purple when the cancer that had been plaguing my friend took him. the car sat for a year not being worked on when the mans wife gave it to his best friend who is finshing it as we speak. atleast its getting done.


JR

 

13 or 14 hard to remember. It was a model T with fronty head and ruckstel rear. Somebody had started to make a dirt tracker but gave up. It was a real basket case. Literally all the engine parts were in peach baskets and orange crates. A friend helped load it on a trailer and we took it to my house. From there on it was worked on after school for about a year. Trying to find tires during WWII was the big problem. We ended up with a mismash but it ran. The so called body was wood and canvas-painted with house paint.

After I found the HAMB I started remembering all the old stuff.
Come by the winery and see us in our natural envirornment.

""never enter a battle of wits half armed"

 

I'm not sure this fully qualifies but my step dad got me my first car at age 10 it was a farm truck/tractor beastie.I did all the work on it and thought I did some cool things to it atleast for 10 years old but truth is it was all butchery but it was a 20$ rig in 63. Bomber buckets,home made shifter ,clear plexi glass roof insert 32 comercial rad.shell.pin striping done with artist/model brushes (just imagine how good that looked!)I spent almost my entire summer on that mess believe it or not we sold it that fall for 150$ and a running but sad 57 ranchero

 

Does rebuilding my first total at 14 (with dad's help) count? It was a '61 Galaxie 500.
~ Paul
aka "Tha Driver"

Easy on the Giggle Cream!

 

I messed around with cars, rebuilding motors, fixing rotted floors, two toned my '55 Chevy with Krylon rattle cans...it zebra striped like a bitch too...but I never really did a full on all the way build till about 20...It's been all down hill since

 

i got my current project (been working on it for a while) when i was in 8th grade, 2 cars later i'm still working on it.

 

We're talking 1st Hot Rod now right Cause I had a bunch of projects just like I still do before I was legal driving age

I got my 1st 34 3W when I was 21, Waited about a month to tear into it & when I did I found all kinds of sh*t wrong with it. If I'd driven it with the front cross member that was in it, I wouldn't probably be here-Lol.
pulled the body off the frame, boxed the front & rear sections-made my own templates & boxing plates did the reworking the rear spring set up,welded in the "Sneak & Jerks" engine mounts along with the trans set up, didn't have a cherry picker available @ the time so my girlfriend @ the time - Suzanne & I put the engine through the bottom of the frame (Ala last gen Camaro).
It had the right stance and is still my favorite Hot Rod-Although I didn't know it @ the time. It allowed me to buy my house though and I did keep some cool key pieces off it for a future incarnation of it albeit with a nice Flatty though .

 

15-17 1956 f-100 272 3-twos, ram horns and a 292 4bbl cam from a grain truck,4-spd, 57 front axle(1 1/2 lower), dearched leaves, cut down to short bed, shaved everything, louvered hood and tailgate,49 merc taillights. not really a frame-off, but as close as you can get.